In the face of renewed nationalism, Belgium - which has often been proposed as a model for other divided societies, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina - must contend with a constitutional crisis that has brought into question the very future of the state.

Recent developments – particularly a proposal to recognize Macedonia as the ‘Republic of Vardar Macedonia’ - have demonstrated that, contrary to the fears of some, the debt crisis will not impede Greece’s capacity for resolving regional disputes.

In an organization that is founded on consultation, consensus, negotiation and compromise, in which any member country or group of countries can effectively block action by the organization as a whole, any attempt by any country to make others act against their will are likely to fail.

A number of key factors - including Gazprom's financial situation, falling gas production and Ukraine's changed politics - bring into question Russia's capacity to deliver the energy security benefits promised by its deal with Serbia.

The Sarajevo summit once again re-affirmed the impression that the EU is attempting to solve the region's problems on an ad hoc basis, without a clear commitment and without offering anything that hasn't already been on the agenda since 2000.